Sports
34th CBN Tennis Open: Babalola Chases Imonite’s Record
The 34th edition of the just-concluded
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Senior Tennis Open took a different turn as it
recorded come-back winners in the Men’s and Ladies singles events.
The tournament, organised by the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) was
held between May 3 and May 12 at the National Stadium, Lagos.
Favourites Abulmumuni Babalola, seeded two and Fatima Abinu, seeded one,
returned as the Men’s and Ladies Singles champions respectively at the end of
the competition.
Babalola beat Shehu Lawal, seeded three,
6-3, 6-4 to lift the Men’s Singles trophy while Abinu defeated unseeded Sarah
Adegoke, current African U-14 champion, 6-4, 6-3 to lift the Ladies Singles trophy.
Babalola had earlier won the competition
three times, in 2002, 2006 and 2009 to record the second highest winner after
legend David Imonite who had won it seven times.
The annual competition began in 1979 with
Kehinde Ajayi as the maiden champion who also retained the trophy in 1980.
Remi Osho dethroned Ajayi in 1981, but
Imonite took over in 1982 and won it three times consecutively.
He was dethroned by Sadiq Abdullahi in 1985
who also retained the trophy in 1986, but Imonite in 1987 dethroned Abdullahi
and came back to win the competition again three times consecutively.
Imonite was dethroned by Segun Balogun in
1990 before he won it for the last time in 1991 to complete his seven times
record.
“It will be difficult for me to break
Imonite’s record, he has won it three consecutive times twice, but I have not.
“I will need to break the three times
consecutive record first before meeting his record of seven times champion,”
Babalola told newsmen after defeating Shehu.
Tournament’s referee, Saidu Musa, described
Babalola’s performance in the tournament as ‘really a come-back one’ as he
played the game with his heart.
“I commend his effort. He played the game
with much determination and zeal, he was more reserved and did not allow for
detraction throughout his matches,’’ he said.
In the Ladies, Abinu has only tallied with
the record of Osaro Amadin who has won it four times but was yet to meet the
record of Veronica Oyibokia won has won it record eight times.
Anne Abimiku, was the maiden champion in
1979 and retained it the following year before Esther Onyekwelu dethroned her
in 1981.
Rolake Olagbegi dethroned Onyekwelu in 1982
but Onyekwelu returned in 1983, only for Oyibokia to win it four record times
between 1984 and 1987.
Oyibokia was dethroned by Nosa Imafidon in
1988, came back in 1988 and won it three consecutive times between 1989 and
1991 to complete her seven year record.
Amadin achieved her four times record by
winning it in 1997 and three times running from 2003 to 2005.
Abinu first won it in 2007, she was
dethroned by Christy Agugbom in 2008 but regained her title in 2009.
She successfully defended her title in
2010, was again dethroned in 2011 by Biola Akewula, but came back to win it in
2012 to complete her four times winner.
“I am looking forward to meet Oyibokia’s
record; I still have age on my side.
“This remains the source of my confidence
to meet that record and even beat it,’’ Abinu said.
Another female player who made record in
the competition was tennis prodigy, Adegoke.
Unseeded Adegoke stunned spectators as she
rode on the back of other seeded players to qualify for the final.
Adegoke’s coach, George Odiong, said that
Adegoke would definitely emerge the tournament’s champion next year
The Men’s and Ladies Singles champions went
home with N600, 000 each while their runners-up went home with N400,000 each.
Tottenham fought back from two-goals down to secure a deserved point against Brighton.
The Seagulls were second best for much of the match but found themselves 2-0 up after 31 minutes thanks to Yankuba Minteh’s early strike and Yasin Ayari’s powerful drive.
However, Richarlison halved the deficit just before half-time when he stopped a shot by Mohammed Kudus before slotting in.
Spurs dominated the second half but their finishing let them down as Richarlison and substitute Xavi Simons were both unable to make the most of promising opportunities.
But the equaliser came eight minutes from time when Jan Paul van Hecke turned Kudus’ cross into his own net.
Spurs then pushed for a winner as they looked to continue their impressive start to the season, but Brighton held on for the point.
Bundesliga: Kane Continues Goal Harvest (5)
Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season as Bayern Munich overcame a shaky start to win at Hoffenheim and continue their 100% start.
The England captain, 32, broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a clinical first-time finish from a cleverly worked low corner, and doubled Bayern’s lead from the spot after Albian Hajdari was harshly penalised for a handball.
That broke Hoffenheim’s resistance and Kane completed his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick with another penalty, given for a foul on substitute Michael Olise after a video assistant referee (VAR) check.
This time Kane sent home keeper Oliver Baumann the wrong way for his 13th Bayern goal in seven matches across all competitions this season, adding to his Champions League double against Chelsea last Wednesday.
“Hat-trick Harry is what they called me in school,” Kane told Tidesports source after the match. “That one kind of stuck when I was younger.”
“Any ball in the box, whether penalty or not, I back myself to hit the target.”
Hoffenheim had the better of the first 45 minutes, Fisnik Asllani only able to hit the post after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer passed straight to the Kosovan.
They eventually got some reward for their efforts, former West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal’s deflected free-kick beating Neuer to earn the Czech his first goal for the club.
Ex-Liverpool winger Luis Diaz hit the top of the bar late on as he failed to continue his record of scoring in every Bundesliga game this season, but Serge Gnabry added a fourth for Bayern with the last kick, converting a rebound from a tight angle after Baumann saved from Joshua Kimmich.
Nicolas Jackson made his first start since joining Bayern on an initial loan deal from Chelsea, but the Senegal striker had a very quiet game before being replaced in the 62nd minute.
In Italy, Lorenzo Pellegrini fired Roma into the Serie A top four as Lazio had two players sent off in a fiery derby.
The midfielder found the bottom corner in the 38th minute as Roma extended their unbeaten run to four games against their city rivals.
Lazio have lost three of their opening games of the season and had Reda Belahyane and former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi dismissed in late drama.
Roma started well and Rome-born Pellegrini claimed the vital goal – his fourth in a Rome derby after being available for transfer in the summer – following good work down the right by Matias Soule.
But the hosts will rue missed opportunities as Boulaye Dia, Mattia Zaccagni and Alessio Romagnoli all had openings.
With four minutes left substitute Belahyane was shown a red card for a late studs-up challenge on Manu Kone.
Danilo Cataldi struck the outside of the post for Lazio in a last-gasp effort to snatch a point, while team-mate Guendouzi was sent off for dissent after the final whistle.
Luca Zidane, the son of France’s World Cup-winning playmaker Zinedine, has switched his international allegiance from France to Algeria.
Born just outside Marseille, the 27-year-old goalkeeper had appeared for France at various youth levels.
The move, which was approved by Fifa, may enable Zidane to follow in his father’s footsteps by appearing at a World Cup, with Algeria expected to secure a place at the 2026 finals in North America in their qualifier against Somalia next month.
Zidane, who is the second of four brothers, all of whom came through the Real Madrid academy, currently plays for Spanish second tier side Granada.
He played two matches for Madrid and has La Liga experience at Rayo Vallecano, but dropped a level in 2022 to play for Eibar before heading to Andalusia in 2024.
Zidane qualifies for the North African country through his father, whose parents hailed from the Kabylie region of Algeria.
Zinedine Zidane, who is regarded as one of the games greatest players scored twice for France in their 1998 World Cup final victory over Brazil, but was famously sent-off in the 2006 final, which was won by Italy after a penalty shootout.
Manchester United capitalised on Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute red card to secure a crucial victory over Chelsea in torrential rain at Old Trafford.
The first match in Premier League history to see two or more goals, red cards and substitutions in the first half was settled by goals from United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who was the other player sent off before the break.
It was Sanchez’s dismissal that set the course of the game though.
The Spain international raced from his goal to meet Bryan Mbeumo as the striker ran beyond the Chelsea defence.
Sanchez then upended the forward outside his area rather than allow him past to tap the ball into an empty net.
Enzo Maresca’s response to the red card was to take off both Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian and, as Cole Palmer had to be replaced after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, Chelsea had lost three attacking players in the space of 20 minutes.
Trevor Chalobah pulled one back for Chelsea with a header 10 minutes from time but United kept their nerves at bay to make it to the final whistle with their lead intact.
The victory was United’s second of the season and came in front of minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who gave head coach Ruben Amorim assurances over his future 48 hours earlier.
It also means Chelsea have still not won at Old Trafford since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was United manager.